Feb. 1, 2023: Why you shouldn't expect much from the Biden-McCarthy summit
President Joe Biden and Rep. Kevin McCarthy are scheduled to meet today in the Oval Office at 3:15 p.m.\nKeep your expectations in check.\xa0\n\u201cBoring,\u201d a top White House official said, when we asked about the first one-on-one session between the president and new House speaker. \u201cFirst meeting of a hundred to follow.\u201d\nMcCarthy has set a similarly low bar. \u201cI think the first thing he should do,\u201d McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday, \u201cespecially as president of the United States, is say he\u2019s willing to sit down and find a common ground and negotiate together.\u201d\nThe White House released a memo setting its own limited priorities for the meeting, saying Biden will pose two questions to McCarthy today:\n\n\u201cWill the Speaker commit to the bedrock principle that the United States will never default on its financial obligations\u2026?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen will Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans release their Budget?\u201d\n\nPlaybook co-author Rachael Bade stops by to explain what she'll be watching for when Biden and McCarthy meet later today.\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.